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Tag Archives: characterization
Writing Compelling Characters
This post is a blast from the past on my blog. I originally delved into this topic two years ago, here. Since I’m still doing revisions on my next novel, I’ve been looking at each character, examining them to make … Continue reading
Literature and the Challenge of The Mormon People
Matthew Bowman’s The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith, published earlier this year by Random House, is possibly the best overview of Mormon history that I’ve read. Written for scholars and general readers alike, the book situates Mormonism … Continue reading
Why I Spent Years Trying not to Be a Mormon Writer (and How I Got Over That)
In 1992, back when I started my freshman year of college, I knew that I wanted to be a writer. I also knew (or at least thought I knew) that I didn’t want to be a “Mormon writer.” The only … Continue reading
From the Writer’s Desk: Be Weird, Mormon Writers!
The presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman have been good for Mormonism because they’ve brought Mormons and the Church into the national discussion. It’s been gratifying to see pundits correctly clarifying Church positions while debating evangelical critics. And … Continue reading
Sometimes Death is JUST What The Story Needs
The year is 1999. The Place is my dining room in my house in Draper, Utah. The book I’m working on is my first one, Earning Eternity It happened like this: I had never written a book before, but had … Continue reading
YA Corner: A thank you to writers
Let me start with a disclaimer–I haven’t read a lot of YA this summer, Mormon or otherwise. I’m sad about that, but it couldn’t be avoided. Summer’s kind of a crazy time for me, and I haven’t had much time … Continue reading
Posted in YA corner
Tagged characterization, female characters, LDS YA authors, profanity, Sex in YA literature, YA genre
4 Comments
Romance 101: The More Subtle Elements of the Formula
by Moriah Jovan “The only real requirement of a romance novel is a happily ever after (HEA).” Everybody who reads romance knows this. Here’s the dirty little secret: That’s not really true. There are tropes, traits, tableaux, and themes that … Continue reading
Posted in Stuff of Romance
Tagged characterization, characters, female characters, literary formulas, romance as genre, settings
11 Comments
YA Corner: Because Wrong is Interesting
Recently, one of our librarians recounted a conversation he had overheard in the teen stacks. A teenager and her mother were looking for books for the girl when they came across a popular vampire series. The young woman pleaded with … Continue reading
